by Bob Brown Posted 5/21/20, 03:55 pm

Abortion
| Film claims advocates manipulated the woman who went from landmark abortion case plaintiff to pro-life activist

by Bob Brown Posted 5/21/20, 03:19 pm

A new documentary is set to drop a bombshell on the abortion debate. In AKA Jane Roe, Norma McCorvey, the Roe of Roe v. Wade, reportedly says during a “deathbed confession” that her conversion from pro-abortion heroine to pro-life activist was “all an act.”

Television
| Explicit content detracts from entertaining and insightful science fiction show

by Bob Brown Posted 4/17/20, 03:32 pm

The new sci-fi TV series Tales From the Loop lands on the mystery spectrum somewhere between The Twilight Zone and Lost. While two of the first season’s eight episodes could stand alone, the setting and characters unite all the tales. Luxurious cinematography and stylish storytelling set the show apart from many other viewing options but occasionally sap some of that good, old-fashioned spookiness. (Spare the Rod Serling, spoil the brainchild?)

Movie

Bob Brown | 4/09/20, 04:37 pm

“I’m alone, and nobody can fix it.” So prison warden Bernadine Williams describes carrying out executions. But she could be speaking for every character in Clemency, a film from writer/director Chinonye Chukwu. Loneliness and despair escort all on the walk toward death, Chukwu seems to say.

Bob Brown | 3/26/20, 12:41 pm

Filmmakers who tackle themes of social inequality sometimes allow agendas to run roughshod over storytelling. Producer Anthony Mackie and director George Nolfi take a more engaging approach in The Banker, delivering a teachable moment about racial injustice while keeping drama front and center.

The film owes much of its watchability to an intriguing main character and top-notch performances from Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson. Strong language and a split focus are drawbacks.

Education
| Families and educators search for creative solutions during the pandemic

Bob Brown | 3/18/20, 04:24 pm

More schools in the United States are closed than open as states try to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. Students and their families face challenges and uncertainty not only about how they will learn, but also how to provide for the needs that schools meet for meals, special education, and disability accommodations.

Brielle Landman, a 10th grader at Champion Christian School in Champion, Pa., said her ADHD makes it difficult to keep to a schedule on her own.

Education
| Brigham Young University changes its policy on homosexual behavior

Bob Brown | 3/04/20, 05:02 pm

In November 2015, just months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, Mormons took a hard stand for traditional families. Barely more than four years later, the flagship university of the Latter-day Saints relaxed its honor code barring all homosexual conduct.

Movie

Bob Brown | 2/27/20, 04:08 pm

It’s not a pretty sight: “Redneck KKK Museum” spelled out in big letters across a marquee. The year is 1996, and the Klan of Laurens, S.C., has refurbished a theater to display its pointed hoods, lynching photos, and other hateful memorabilia. The scene opens Burden, a new film based on an actual confrontation between a Klansman and a pastor.

The gritty film landed a major prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival but has trouble pinpointing the real source of redemption.

Documentary
| The Riot and the Dance: Water offers both

Bob Brown | 2/27/20, 04:03 pm

A giant water bug grabs a frog and injects it with enzymes that liquefy the hapless croaker’s innards. The aqueous insect then slurps dry its prey—an “amphibian-flavored Capri Sun”—casting the carcass away. A scene to teach the survival of the fittest? No, Isaiah 11.

Dr. Gordon Wilson, narrating the spectacular new nature documentary The Riot and the Dance: Water (written by N.D. Wilson), yearns for the day the lion will lie down with the lamb. With a splash of wry humor, deep theology fills the deep Water.